What do you think? Government cycleways.

[cave weta]

The Governments new Cycleways Around New Zealand idea

I reckon you could lower the cost of this by say having low risk prisoners and PD people doing as much of the work as possible. Eg: a low risk offender is given a certain amount of KM's of the track to build for their sentence, rather than wasting our time and money in jail, learning how to scam the system, become a better criminal and associating with exactly the sort of people that they should be forced to avoid (if possible).
So I reckon an x Kilometres of track, versus x amount of time in jail would be much more beneficial. They'd be forced to re-locate somewhere remote - like say Twizel, to work on their section and when they're done, they know that they've contributed something meaningful to the rest of society (and themselves, as they'll be able to use the tracks too)...everybody wins And re: low risk, I mean stuff like vandalism, tagging, minor car thefts and the sorts of things that they are thinking about this "boot camp" rubbish for.

[James Deuce]

If it keeps cyclists off the road, it's all good.

The whole point is to keep people employed, not "make busy" work for convicts.

[Hitcher]

Keep the convicts locked up. There will be plenty of unemployed people available to be deployed on cycleway endeavour in the not too distant future, if the economic gloomsayers are to be believed.

[BMWST?]

if its worth building it should be done through the normal channels/contractors etc...

[Ixion]

If they can build cycleways , they can build motorcycleways. Sod the lycralads. We want our own roads.

[PirateJafa]

If they can build cycleways , they can build motorcycleways. Sod the lycralads. We want our own roads.

I thought it was a [motor]cycleway they were proposing?

We're already prepping the dirtbikes.

[YellowDog]

IMO - It's a good idea. There is no way that enough money could otherwise be found for such a project. This free slave labour should help reduce the cost.

[James Deuce]

IMO - It's a good idea. There is no way that enough money could otherwise be found for such a project. This free slave labour should help reduce the cost.

Missed the point I see. There's a 50 million budget already set for it. 50 mill is chicken feed these days , but will keep 30-50 people (estimated) employed. The crims can just sit in there cells thanks. People have kids to feed.

[ManDownUnder]

It depends on how it boosts the economy. If the work constructing the cycleway is the boost then no - keep 'em out. If it's the finished cycleway that does it then I have no problems with it.

It could mean it's seen as the fruits of convict labour which always draws international scourn (recall the Lada's build in the '80s using prison labour - then a cheese for cars swap was done and all hell broke loose...)

[Genestho]

Boost our economy...give those who need it work.

[MisterD]

if its worth building it should be done through the normal channels/contractors etc...

Well 99% of MTB trails are built and maintained by volunteers...

[tigertim20]

I reckon that unemployed should be given first option for the work, but any shortfalls in labour should be sorted by PD or low risk prisoners, I mean the fuckers are costing us money to keep them locked up, and D workers, well the whole point of PD is essentially to make them put something into the community, but it shouldnt be done at the cost of jobs for those who really need them.

[YellowDog]

Missed the point I see. There's a 50 million budget already set for it. 50 mill is chicken feed these days , but will keep 30-50 people (estimated) employed. The crims can just sit in there cells thanks. People have kids to feed.

Well I don't agree with your point. If you can get prisoners to do labour and thus save costs, you can use the money elsewhere on other projects, such as building more prisons.

A cycleway project covering such a large geographical area would be difficulty to co-ordinate and also manage a labour force. Prisoners would be ideally suited because they don't have to travel back to their families etc.

[Waxxa]

Prison labour should be used for all important National projects. Not to say that this cycle way is of National importance but what about projects like the new Northern motorway extension and Johnstone Hill tunnel for example, this could have been done by prison labour. it would've taken them years to complete but the alternative is that we have to wait anyway to get it built.

I would also like to see a canal built between the Manukau and Waitemata harbors for instance, double tracking of the railway system throughout NZ, clean up of streams, lakes harbours, clearing gorse and other pest weeds, oil spills, the list can go on and on....

For those of you who may say 'what about local employment?' they only get employment if the budget for some project is available and goes ahead. And I'm not saying taking the office jobs, manufacturing jobs etc..

Prison labour can be used in advance on projects that would cost, take a long time, that is manually intensive and they can indirectly through their actions contribute to society. The cost is already there to keep them inside so lets use our taxpayers dollars and get some worth out of this resource.

[SARGE]

The Governments new Cycleways Around New Zealand idea

I reckon you could lower the cost of this by say having low risk prisoners and PD people doing as much of the work as possible. Eg: a low risk offender is given a certain amount of KM's of the track to build for their sentence, rather than wasting our time and money in jail, learning how to scam the system, become a better criminal and associating with exactly the sort of people that they should be forced to avoid (if possible).
So I reckon an x Kilometres of track, versus x amount of time in jail would be much more beneficial. They'd be forced to re-locate somewhere remote - like say Twizel, to work on their section and when they're done, they know that they've contributed something meaningful to the rest of society (and themselves, as they'll be able to use the tracks too)...everybody wins And re: low risk, I mean stuff like vandalism, tagging, minor car thefts and the sorts of things that they are thinking about this "boot camp" rubbish for.

nah .. chain gangs ..let the hard pricks break some rocks too


and dole bloggers.. chain them together too .. just drop them off the pier when they're done


win/win